The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast

26 major titles, 67 tournament wins, 5 Davis Cup titles, World #1 in 1967, the great Australian John Newcombe joined me from the roof of Rod Laver Arena and it was a tremendous thrill. In the 60s and 70s John first served and volleyed his way to tennis fame, and with his signature moustache became one of the most famous people in the world. We talked in length about the modern day Australian Open...

Former World #15 and Australia Davis Cup Captain Wally Masur and I chatted on the middle Saturday of The Australian Open on the roof of Rod Laver Arena. We discussed the tournament, the draws, Seb Korda, Andy Murray, the late nights and the hard fights, and how important The Davis Cup is and how it has been bastardized. We discussed his career and his perspectives on the modern game. We talked abo...

Born and raised in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England, John Lloyd has lived a legendary tennis life. We discussed what his junior career was like, how he came up with Borg and Vitas, and how he knew he could be a pro from the time he was 16. He was a fixture on tour through the late 70s thru the mid 80s. He reached the finals of the 1979 Australian Open, becoming the first Englishman since Fred Perry to...

The legendary Ivan Lendl joined me for the inaugural Practice and Breakfast Series, where he coached 11 players on 2 separate courts, and then we had a free flowing organic hour Q and A . We discussed his life in the juniors, particularly the Orange Bowl and how it was the most important tournament in junior tennis. He talked about why cheating wasn't prevalent when he was a junior, and how the Sp...

38 year old Rajeev Ram became the #1 doubles player in the world in October, the culmination of a tremendous career He collected a national championship in 2003 at The University of Illinois where they went undefeated, and got to 56 in the world in 2016. We discussed his career in length, including how he copied Pete Sampras strokes and how it hurt him. We talked in detail about being left off of...

The Hall of Famer Kim Clijsters joined me right before Thanksgiving, and just as Belgium played their first The World Cup game. We had a magnificent chat. She began her pro career in 1998 and In 2003 at the age of 20 years old she reached #1 in singles and in doubles, She played Graf, Seles and Capriati, and battled Hingis, Davenport, Venus, Serena, and most significantly her fellow countrywoman a...

Nicolas Lapentti reached the semis of the 1999 Australian Open and the quarters of Wimbledon in 2002. In 2000 he got to 6 in the world and over the course of his career he posted wins over world #1s Kafelnikov, Moya, Kuerten, Hewitt, and Ferrero. We discussed the machinations of the ATP , as well as his memories of Roger Federer. We talked about the exhibition he promoted with Rafa Nadal and Caspe...

Elite player. Davis Cup Captain. Agent. Broadcaster. Businessman. The Ultimate Dealmaker. Hall of Famer Donald Dell's life in tennis has been remarkable. The architect of the ATP , the first player agent, he has the distinction of negotiating two of the most significant endorsement deals in history- The Stan Smith Shoe and The Air Jordan shoe, respectively. We discussed it all, from being a highly...

Over the course of her incredible life in tennis, Lisa Raymond won 2 NCAA singles titles, led the University of Florida to their first team title, and then got to 15 in the world in singles, posting wins over Venus Williams, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, and Martina Hingis. She distinguished herself in doubles, reaching #1 in the world, won 6 majors, as well as another 7 in mixed, and won 79 ti...

Nicole Melichar-Martinez joined me last week on a moist day in San Diego, as she was getting ready to play the semifinal of the San Diego Open. Born in the Czech Republic and raised in Florida, Nicole and I discussed her life in tennis including her connection to Andrey Pavel, we talked about her and partner Ellen Perez's hot streak since the hard court season began, and her perspectives on the cu...

With the 2022 tennis season just about finished, Jon Wertheim joined me while on a road trip from Erie, Pennsylvania to Cleveland, Ohio, and we discussed the year in review. We discussed Emma Raducanu, Ons Jabeur, the health of the WTA , Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, the retirement of Ash Barty, the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz. We discussed the legal issues facing Nick Kyrgios and Sascha Zverev, as...

Back by popular demand is the tennis shoe special featuring the great Dr Zach Thomas , the Tennis Shoe expert that forensically studies and dissects all the shoes. The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by Sergio Tacchini . Diadora is the official shoe of the podcast Recorded October 3 released October 11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Born and raised in Novi Sad in the former Yugoslavia, Petar Popovic has spent his entire life in tennis, first as a player and then most significantly as a coach. We discussed the machinations of pro tennis from the players to the rules to the nuances of the the scoring system. It was a fascinating chat. Recorded 10.3 and released 10.6 The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by Sergio Tacchini...

Day 8 of the US Open, the quarterfinals are in motion and former world #14 Jan Michael Gambill and I discussed it all in a rapid fire staccato. Serena, Coco, Rafa, Raducanu, and of course Kygrios. Recorded and Released on 11.6.22 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2016 Stevie Johnson grew up in Orange County and had the most elite career in college tennis history, leading USC to four straight NCAA championships. In 2016 he won his first tour title in Nottingham, got to the round of 16 at Wimbledon, and got to 21 in the world when his father unexpectedly died in his sleep. He had a difficult time for the next couple years. We discussed his career what he...

Marion Bartoli grew up in France and blasted her way into pro tennis with a 29 inch racquet and two fists on both wings. She battled her way to the 2007 Wimbledon Final where she lost to Venus Williams, and it wouldn't be until 2013 where she'd break through, becoming one of the only athletes to win a major without dropping a set. Two months later she'd retire. We discussed her tennis journey, inc...

Sascha Bajin grew up in Munich, Germany and for 8 years, beginning in 2008, was ever present on tour as a member of the Serena Williams team, and he was with Serena as her hitting partner while she won 11 major titles. He was the hitting partner for Vika Azarenka, Caroline Wozniaki, and Sloane Stephens. He rose to coaching prominence prominence as the coach of Naomi Osaka when she blasted on the s...

Scotsman Stuart Duguid joined me late last week to discuss the business of tennis, in particular the business of his clients Naomi Osaka and Nick Kygrios. We talked in length about the split from IMG and the creation of the EVOLVE AGENCY, and what's in store for the future. This is an interesting look at the world of tennis from an agent's lens. Recorded June 10th, before Naomi pulled out of Wimbl...

In 2011 Sam Stosur shocked the tennis world and beat a resurgent Serena Williams in the finals of The US Open. She got to 4 in the world and won 40 tournaments. She joined me from Strasbourg and we discussed her improbable win at the Open in length and how losing the finals of the 2010 French Open made her better, and we covered a wide array of current events. Recorded May 19 Released May 29 The C...

The 2022 edition of Roland Garros is upon us, and former world #7, Spanish tennis luminary Emilio Sanchez joined me to discuss in depth two of his compatriots that are favorites to win the men's tournament, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafa Nadal, as well as the defending champion Novak Djokovic. We discussed the women in particular Iga Swiatek, as well as world #2, the Spaniard Paula Badosa. Emilio also to...

Andrea Petkovic has lived an incredible life in tennis and we discussed her career as well as many of the hot button topics of the day, including the health of the WTA, the retirement of Ash Barty, and the plight of Boris Becker. We talked in depth about the machinations that happen when a player is negotiating an injury, and what it is like to be across the net from Angie Kerber, Naomi Osaka and...

Born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, Alexsandr Dolgopolov got to 13 in the world in 2012, won 3 titles, and made over 7 million dollars in prize money. Nicknamed "The Dog", he was among the flashiest players of his day, and his unique style was a favorite amongst fans. He retired in 2021 and joined me from Kyiv where he is actively assisting the Ukrainian war effort. Recorded April 8, 2022, released...

Ben Rothenberg and I sat down today and discussed pro tennis at the Miami Open . We discussed Osaka, Nadal, Zverev, the retirement of Ash Barty and why the Miami Open is great. Recorded and released 3.25.22 The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by Sergio Tacchini Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim Courier and I chatted hot button topics from Indian Wells including the war in Ukraine and it's impact on tennis , Darren Cahill's departure from the desert and the on court breakdowns of Anisimova, Osaka, and Azarenka and why Djokovic stayed in the draw right up until the last minute. We talked Opelka and Rafa, and Kygrios. It was a tour de force 20 minute chop up. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

Sergiy Stakhovsky was born in Kyiv and resided in Kharkiv, Ukraine. I 2010 he got to 31 in the world, and in 2013 beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon. On Feb 24th, when Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of his nation he left his family at their home in Hungary, crossed the border into the Ukraine from Slovakia and enlisted in the Ukraine Army and has taken up arms. Sergiy joined me at 3AM KYIV time...